Netflix has been in a bit of a dry spell lately as far as its original movie efforts go, but Jennifer Lopez’s newly released thriller The Mother has broken that trend. After weeks of having maybe a single Netflix original movie in the app’s daily list of the Top 10 Netflix movies in the US, The Mother — in which Lopez portrays a military-trained assassin who comes out of hiding to protect her daughter — has debuted as the streamer’s #1 movie in the US.
I’m not sure The Mother will stay in that spot over an extended period of time, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it does, either. Critics and viewers, for example, have been pretty split in their reaction to the film, as judged by the current Rotten Tomatoes scores: 44% from critics (not good), and 71% from viewers (actually decent, as far as Netflix movies go). Meanwhile, for those of you who enjoyed Lopez’s new Netflix outing, in this post we’ll also tell you a few other Netflix movies to check out next.
Other Netflix movies to watch after The Mother
To my point above about the dry spell when it comes to movies on the streamer: The only other Netflix original movie I can recall seeing on the daily Top 10 list for the last few weeks is the French film AKA, in which a special ops agent goes undercover insider a crime syndicate. So, again, it’s good to see improvement here, especially for someone like me who prefers movies to TV shows these days.
And while we wait for more compelling new Netflix movies to drop on the service, here are some additional original Netflix movies I recommend checking out that are all generally along the same lines as The Mother (for those of you who enjoyed it, of course). The formula generally includes a gun-toting or knife-wielding protagonist (or group of protagonists) going up against a world of baddies:
- Kate: Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars as Kate, a ruthless killer who has 24 hours to figure out who’s lethally poisoned her and get revenge — all while also forming a surprising bond with the daughter of one of her past victims.
- Gunpowder Milkshake: Per Netflix, “Sam (Karen Gillan) was only 12 years old when her mother Scarlet (Lena Headey), an elite assassin, was forced to abandon her. Sam was raised by The Firm, the ruthless crime syndicate her mother worked for. Now, 15 years later, Sam has followed in her mother’s footsteps and grown into a fierce hit-woman … But when a high-risk job goes wrong, Sam must choose between serving The Firm and protecting the life of an innocent 8-year-old girl.”
- Carter: After a deadly pandemic originating from the DMZ that devastates the US and North Korea, a man named “Carter” sets out to reclaim his identity and complete his mission on time in this one-scene, one-cut Netflix movie.
- Kill Boksoon: In the vein of Kill Bill, an army of hitmen sets out to kill a hitwoman, Gil Boksoon, after she wants to hang up her hat and focus on raising her daughter. Needless to say, she’s not so easily dealt with.
